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Commodity trader Trafigura had leased 35 newly built crude oil and oil product tankers from an undisclosed Asian financial partner with the vessels expected to be delivered late this week and all through 2019, the company said."Until 2020, the vessels will run on regular fuel, and from then onwards, whenever allowed (some ports do not allow usage of open loop scrubber)

Water levels on the Rhine and Danube in Germany remain low after a recent drought and freight vessels cannot sail fully loaded on the rivers, traders said on Tuesday.Rhine water levels have risen after rain in recent days but still remain well below levels that would allow normal sailings, they said.“Most vessels are only sailing about 30 percent full,” one trader said.

Contaminated marine fuel that clogs and damages ship engines has been found in Singapore, the world's largest ship refuelling hub, according to sources and an alert sent to clients by a marine fuel surveying company.Singapore-based marine fuel surveyor and consulting firm Maritec Pte Ltd warned clients this week that six samples of ship fuel sold in Singapore had "resulted in severe sludging at

Energy trader Vitol and coal miner Peabody Energy are partnering with start-up Arq to turn coal waste into a low-sulphur oil product that could be an alternative fuel for shippers as new U.N. pollution rules loom, the companies said in a statement.Global oil and shipping companies are looking at any and all options to avoid becoming a casualty of the major market dislocations that the new

BP operates largest teapot marketing team among majors; four BP-chartered tankers have trouble unloading off China. Four supertankers chartered by energy major BP have been held up or delayed off China's east coast over the last two months, unable to fully discharge oil as slowing demand from the country's private refiners starts to impact global markets.

Water levels on the Rhine and Danube in Germany have fallen after recent dry weather and freight vessels cannot sail fully loaded on some sections of the rivers, traders said on Wednesday. The Rhine is too shallow for normal sailings around Cologne, traders said. All of the German section of the Danube is too shallow for full loads, they said.

OPEC member Venezuela has raised the prospect of declaring force majeure on contracts with major crude buyers amid plummeting output from its oil fields and tanker bottlenecks at ports, according to three sources familiar with the matter.Falling production from Venezuela has contributed to a rally in global oil prices to a near four-year high

A U.N. monitoring group wants to enlist the help of the world's biggest oil trading companies to enforce sanctions that cap the amount of crude and related products North Korea can import, the coordinator said.The U.N. Security Council ramped up sanctions last year after North Korea said it had conducted missile tests that put the U.S. mainland in range of its nuclear weapons.

A new ship holding company has been formed through a joint venture agreement between physical energy trader Gunvor Group, ship management company Oceangold Tankers and investor Maas Capital.The three partners hold an equal share in the new company, ClearOcean Tankers, which has been incorporated in Cyprus.

The Singapore fuel oil market has rallied this week as inventories have dropped at the same time that some supplies in the region do not meet the standards for use as shipping fuel, further reducing the amount of supply available, five trade sources said.Cash premiums for 380-centistoke fuel oil, which is primarily sold for ship fuel, known as bunker fuel

U.S. midstream oil firm Buckeye Partners and commodities trader Trafigura said on Thursday that modifications to their terminal in Texas to accommodate large tankers were completed and the first shipment of crude on a Suezmax tanker took place. The Buckeye Texas Hub terminal located in Corpus Christi shipping channel is 80 percent owned and operated by Buckeye while Trafigura holds a 20

Exports of U.S. crude oil to Asia appear to be starting to struggle under the weight of a narrowing discount for its domestic benchmark crude to international grades and efforts by other suppliers to maintain competitiveness. Vessel-tracking and port data suggest Asian imports of U.S.